Just like every single store in the US, I’m bringing out the winter holiday decorations and music before December even hits (granted it is only two days away).
I’m dusting off last year’s mix and leaving it here for y’all to enjoy. It’s pretty hip n’ cool if I may say so myself. None of the typical or traditional tunes here, but maybe you’ll find a new holiday favorite.
Do you have a favorite holiday song? Is it a traditional one or a brand, spankin’ new one? Let me know!
I hosted my annual #ThanksgivingBack Birthday event this past weekend. Essentially, I’ll invite friends over to eat snacks I was deprived of during my childhood (namely Totino’s pizza rolls) and ask them to bring donations for a different social cause each year.
This year, I wanted to support the Sacred Stone Camp & the water protectors who are using their bodies and voice to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. They’ve been under constant attack by law enforcement for peacefully protesting and standing their ground. Some of the atrocities committed against the protectors are so outrageous, I can’t believe that DOJ hasn’t sent observers yet.
My friends & family are pretty wonderful people and donated some cashmonaymonay, but I woke yesterday morning to reports of police spraying fire hoses at Sacred Stone Camp in near freezing temperatures, injuring over 100 people. It seems like for every step forward, we’re pushed 50 feet back (by fire hoses, apparently).
During this time, I implore you to donate to Standing Rock’s legal defense fund and/or contribute much needed supplies. I know a lot of people don’t have the expenses to donate a lot, much less travel to North Dakota to be on the frontlines. That’s understandable. That’s okay. (as a sidenote, people who are going to ND…that’s super great, but, y’all better be trained in nonviolent protest, because shit is crazy and you need to be prepared so you don’t react negatively and screw up the credibility of the work that the water protectors have been doing since April. Nonviolence and peaceful protesting is a skill that you need to learn like any other trade. Unfortunately, nonviolent social movements have always been demonized by media for speaking out against power structures, so if a rogue protestor becomes violent, that is all that the media will cover. A sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.)
Anyway, although it’s okay to not be in a financial place to donate money or travel to Standing Rock, what’s not okay is to let this all slide–to just think that since others are speaking out, you don’t have to. It is the ultimate irony that our country is preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving while Native lives and land are [still] seen as disposable.
And okay, we can’t just cancel Thanksgiving. I mean, in all honesty, I would love to skip the whole ordeal (because I don’t eat turkey anyway) and instead have informal educational circles about colonialism and deconstructing white supremacy & post-colonialism, but like…that probably won’t fly in my family. But what I can do, and what we all can do is call out our elected officials for standing by while Native people and their allies are attacked. After your Thanksgiving meal, take twenty minutes to chat with your family about #NoDAPL and leave messages for the Department of Justice, Army Corps, and ND’s governor. Sure, it might seem unconventional, but our tradition of sweeping Native lives and Native problems under the proverbial rug has resulted in huge proportions of Native children in foster care, disproportionate number of Natives killed by police, food deserts, and poor health outcomes.
We have a lot of work to do, and the response from our government and police state to peaceful protesting at Standing Rock surely demonstrates this.
To leave this post on a moderately high note, what I am hopeful for and grateful for are regular people who refuse to let history keep repeating itself. I’m lucky and proud to know some of these people: to be their friends & learn from them in all ways on all days. This year has been all sorts of horrible, but I have grown immensely from every person who walked in (and out) of my life. And because of that, maybe it hasn’t been so horrible. It’s also been shades of amazing and uplifting and full of soul-searching. So, thanks for giving me that, world.
…And because I don’t have a nifty or clever segue into displaying this week’s TunesDay playlist, I’m just going to drop it here:
May you celebrate time with your loved ones if you are lucky enough to be with them this week. And for those who aren’t, go buy a pie. Pie makes 93.4% of things better. I recommend pumpkin and dutch apple, but you could get a weird berry one too, I guess. One of the best things the USA has going for us right now is our selection of gourmet pies. But in all seriousness, know that you are loved even if you aren’t sitting with your family and stuffing your face together. As always, I’m sending you love and strength.
Love,
Christina
Today’s TunesDay happens to coincide with election day. I’m eating my feelings and waiting for the polls to roll in.
Because I’m a little [a lot] overwhelmed with this whole electoral process, I’m copying a portion of a Facebook post I made yesterday about voting.
“Voter intimidation is in full swing already. Discouraging eligible voters is detrimental to the entire democratic process. I don’t care what side of the political divide you’re on. We should all feel safe and proud to vote. If you witness voter intimidation (blocking entrances, photographing voters, displaying weapons, asking voters for “documentation”, and disseminating false information) please call the Election Protection hotline led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at 866-OUR-VOTE. There is also the Justice Department Voting Rights Hotline at 800-253-3931.
And on a brighter note, poll lines can get long. We all get hungry. Send a photo of the long line you’re in to https://polls.pizza and they’ll send you a pizza to your line!!”
Seriously though, y’all. We’re in this together. If you see voter intimidation, please do something about it. You may not be comfortable intervening directly, especially if people are brandishing weapons and asking people to “prove” their citizenship (this stuff actually happens). But stay with the person who is being attacked, make sure they feel alright and stay with them in line as they wait to vote, or step aside from the crowd and call the hotline numbers…do something and be safe. We are counting on you.
With a lot of love and hoping we can continue to pursue freedom for all,
Christina
Attention, everybody.
It’s November!!
Time really isn’t doing me many favors. I am simultaneously excited for and dreading the end of 2016. Partially because although the year is nearing its end and I’m almost done with grad apps, I am no where nearer to knowing what the next 6-7 years of my life will look like. Just because I finish applications and its accompanying stress-inducing personal statements, doesn’t mean my life path is set out for me. Will I even get into a good grad program? Will I wilt away and wallow into the comfort of my queen-size bed and personalized quilt? The latter seems like a pretty decent short-term option.
And today’s TunesDay just happens to coincide with the day of my GREs. Approximately 4 hours of second-guessing my judgment and realizing that I don’t remember any basic math or grammar functions from high school. It’s sure to be a great time.
Anyway, whenever November rolls around, I get a warm, comfy feeling. Despite the horrors of my most recent existentialist crisis, November is comforting to me. Aside from being my birth month, November means crisp Autumn weather and lounge-y scarves, loading up on carbs, and spending much-needed time with family. Y’all. I cannot express enough how I long to be nestled along a pillow of mashed potatoes and a barricade of yams, with fatty marshmallows toasting along the top. It’s the stuff of dreams.
…and now, I have successfully made myself hungry whilst writing. Annnd, back to last-minute studying!
I hope that this week’s playlist gets you where you need to go. And for me?
It’s getting me across I-5 North to LA so I can take this silly exam.
Love to you and yours,
Christina
The past two days have been mighty glum. Rain and thunder make me want to curl into a ball and sleep the day away–pretty much the opposite of what I need to be doing this week.
This TunesDay list is my attempt to get my mood back up in tip-top shape so I can be as productive as humanly possible. It’s a mesh of upbeat, jovial beats, with deceptively melancholy notes mixed in. What can I say…the gloom of the previous days is still mulling in my bloodstream.
What songs do you listen to in order to boost your productivity? I know some people who listen to instrumentals, but this girl needs lyrics.
Everyone.
I am so excited.
!!! The exclamation points are supposed to help indicate the level of excitement I am feeling !!!
Look, I’ll be the first one to tell you how unable I am to let go of certain things. Squishy pillows and those weird plastic tubes of colored liquid we played with as ’90s children come to mind. Also TunesDay. TunesDay, though not really a tangible thing, is something that I’ve become so attached to. It is probably the longest standing relationship I have outside of my family and select friendships.
But you know, attachment to intangibles can be particularly unhealthy. So, in the spirit of introspection and self-improvement, I thought I’d let go of my need for control and let loose a little this week for my very first TUNESDAY TAKEOVER.
Cue confetti cannons and expressions of shock & awe.
I know, right? Why did I not think of this brilliance earlier? I have a ton of wondrous friends and acquaintances with pretty fantastic music taste. I will be asking a cool person to takeover TunesDay once a month…so who knows, you could be next, dear Listener/Reader!
But for now, let’s diversify our music mix and get into it!
Introducing this month’s TunesDay Takeover DJ is my dear friend, Sam.
Y’all. I knew he had good music taste before, but I found out last week that he legit has good music taste. As in, stop peeling back the layers of this onion so quickly because I am going to cry. I mean, I know music preference is subjective, but SUBJECTIVELY, his taste is grand.
His mix will not disappoint. You will feel a tumult of emotions. Like when Michelle Obama said, “when they go low, you go high”…you will go low and high and all the heights in between.
Anyway, as this is the first TunesDay Takeover, let me know whose music tastes you admire! Maybe I’ll take your recommendations to heart.
Sending you lots of love, freedom, and virtual tissue hugs,
Christina
It’s time to dance, y’all.
This week, make like Hillary and shimmy your way into some good vibes with this playlist of rockin’ poppin’ feel-good tunes.
You don’t have to actually shimmy, but try it out once in your car–I bet you won’t be able to stop. Just make sure you don’t move your steering wheel and veer directions.
Drive & dance safely, friends.
I’ve been in Washington DC for a couple days and am leaving today.
Being here in such a politically charged and passionate environment…it’s really a different kind of vibe. I went to Union Pub yesterday to watch the first of the political debates and it was PACKED. I mean, wall to wall, every seat taken, where are all the POC because there’s too many progressive white folk & hyper conservatives vying for breathing room in here, kind of packed.
But, it was really cool in a way, to be in the presence of young (ish) people who are passionate about politics and deeply invested, mostly because that’s their job, but also because it’s their interest.
All I know is that I’ll be back someday soon and hopefully will be just as passionate as I was last night, screaming at the TV screens.
PS: they played the first song from my playlist, FDT, in the pub…hilarity ensued.
PPS: there are expletives thrown here and there in the songs…so slightly NSFW unless you work in a liberal environment or are wearing earbuds.
Lots of love & political passion coming your way,
Christina
I love singing in a British accent. It just puts me in a really, really great mood.
Trust me. Try it. Right now, just try it.
Every song lyric seems punchier and full of life, doesn’t it?
Even when I’m listening to songs by non-British bands or artists, I’ll still organically move into a British accent–I think my singing gets slightly better for some reason.
In that spirit, this week’s TunesDay playlist is comprised of my favourite (eh, eh, eh?!) tunes by British bands.
Have any recommendations? Send ’em my way!
This week’s set is an ode to womxn-led bands & duos whose vocal prowess never fails to make me sing loudly along in my car…or weep emotionally next to a pile of warm laundry. The laundry thing doesn’t happen as often as you’d think though.
Growing up, I always wished I had a super silky, smooth singing voice. Unfortunately, it’s always sounded like scratchy, tone-deaf mush. But, that doesn’t stop me from trying to harmonize with these bad-ass ladies in my car and shower…and in the kitchen while I microwave rice.
Who were/are your favorite womxn vocalists? I’m always looking for recommendations to add to my collection, and let me know your thoughts on this week’s set!
with love & beautiful musical vibes,
Christina
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